The present disclosure relates generally to simulation modeling and more particularly to synchronization of time between different simulation models.
Modern policy, planning, and investment decisions are often made in the context of a complex system. Making good policy and investment decisions requires not just the gathering, mining, statistical analysis, and visualization of data, but also the use of simulation models that can predict future behaviors. This is to help analyze the potential impacts of alternative decisions on future outcomes. Planning such modeling and analysis is complicated because high level decisions frequently require understanding of multilayered interactions relating to diverse systems across a great many domains and disciplines.
Taking many different individual models into account requires collaboration of experts across different disciplines that may be very different from one another and function based on different premises. Collaborative modeling and simulation requires data and information across many domains. This requires a system that recognizes different experts have different worldviews and vocabularies, sit in different organizations, and have often invested much effort in developing and implementing their models using different programming and development paradigms. A comprehensive solution allows for integrated collaborative modeling and a system-oriented approach that incorporates many different ideas across different fields. In order to provide this comprehensive solution, data and information from different sources and across multiple disciplines are required to flow easily between processes to enable an analysis of different aspects of a larger problem.